Newport’s Ocean Drive will close to motor vehicles for a few hours on Saturday, June 6, for the seventh annual Elliot’s Ride for Everyone, a car-free community event produced by the nonprofit Bike Newport.
Ocean Avenue and Hazard Road will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to noon, opening to people who want to bike, walk, roll, skate or scoot along the coastline, according to organizers. A welcome will begin at 8:45 a.m. in front of Rogers High School. The event is open to all ages and mobilities, and leashed pets are welcome.
“On June 6th, come ride, walk, climb, and explore the beautiful Ocean Drive out of your cars,” Newport Mayor Charlie Holder said in the announcement. “I hope to see you there.”
The route covers a stretch of Ocean Avenue’s coastline and the full length of Hazard Road, which runs alongside the Gooseneck Cove Salt Marsh, organizers said.
“Elliot’s Ride continues to be one of the happiest days of the year in Newport,” said Bari Freeman, Bike Newport’s founder and executive director. “Seeing families ride together without the stress of traffic reminds us what’s possible when streets are designed for people first.”
Parking is available at Rogers High School on Wickham Road, where refreshments and restrooms will be available, and at Brenton Point State Park near the Ocean Avenue and Harrison Avenue entrance to the route, according to Bike Newport.
The event honors Elliot Kaminitz, a community member and bicycle safety advocate who was killed by a driver in 2012 near Easton’s Beach. His family has since advocated for safer streets and bicycle education in his memory.
“Our dad would love everything about Elliot’s Ride for Everyone,” his children, Ilicia Strasser and Adam Kaminitz, said in the announcement. “He would love seeing the whole community enjoying Newport from the seat of a bicycle.”
The event is free, and donations support Bike Newport’s bicycle education and advocacy programs. Registration and information are available at bikenewportri.org/elliots-ride.
What’sUpNewp is a sponsor of Elliot’s Ride for Everyone.
